BATTLE AGAINST TUBERCULOSIS

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front

Cachet: The cachet shows the double barred cross of Lorraine, the international symbol of the fight against tuberculosis, outlined in bright red against a pale blue background with a soft radiating glow behind it. The design is stark and simple, with no other imagery competing for attention. Below the cross the words "We fight TB" and "Ons beveg Tering" appear in plain black type, stating the cover's purpose directly in both English and Afrikaans.

Info card

THE BATTLE AGAINST TUBERCULOSIS Tuberculosis is the prevalent infectious disease in South Africa, constituting 83% of all notifiable infectious diseases in the country. Approximately 50 000 new cases are reported every year and the annual mortality rate is in the region of 2 000. The organism responsible for tuberculosis, the tubercle bacillus, was first described a century ago by Dr Robert Koch on 24 March 1882. Since then a vaccine against tubercle bacillus infection has been developed and used on a wide scale. In 1973 South Africa promulgated regulations providing for BCG vaccination (Bacillus Calmette Guerin) of infants before they attain the age of six months. Unfortunately however, millions of South Africans have already been infected with the TB bacillus and in such cases the BCG vaccine has no effect. These people run the risk of the infection developing into active tuberculosis should their resistance against illness become lowered. This risk is greater for young children and for persons in the lower socio-economic groups where malnutrition, overcrowding and ignorance are contributory factors. During the last thirty years highly effective drugs against the tubercle bacillus have become available. Formerly, the victims of the disease were inevitably doomed to a long period of isolation in a special tuberculosis hospital. In many cases the chances of their being cured were slim. Today the majority of patients can be treated in a home or work situation with complete safety, provided that responsible persons undertake to supervise the regular taking of the prescribed tablets. This revolutionary aspect of modern treatment is of utmost importance to the patient, particularly if he is the breadwinner of a family. New cases of tuberculosis will continue to occur because of the large number of people who have already been infected, and no dramatic results can be expected from the methods now being implemented. Success in the battle against tuberculosis depends to a considerable extent on public co-operation. The stigma attaching to the disease must be overcome. Guidance and education on the prevention and treatment of TB has become imperative. The Department of Health, Welfare and Pensions, the South African National Tuberculosis Association (SANTA) and the South African Christmas Stamp Fund are conducting a major training programme with a view to educating the public. The battle against tuberculosis cannot be won without the wholehearted co-operation of every member of the community. It is your battle too! Text with acknowledgement to SANTA.

Additional information

This cover is postmarked on 24 March 1982 in Dormerton. The stamp depicts Dr Robert Koch, the bacteriologist who first identified the tubercle bacillus responsible for tuberculosis, with the date marking exactly one hundred years since his description of the organism on 24 March 1882. At the time this cover was issued, tuberculosis accounted for the large majority of notifiable infectious diseases in South Africa, with around 50 000 new cases reported annually. The postmark cancellation itself features the same double barred cross shown on the cachet, a symbol adopted internationally by tuberculosis campaigns in the early twentieth century.

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